Tag: Reunions

Squealing, giggling, hugging, kissing and even a few tears. Sounds more like what you would expect at a student event than a school reunion.

Well, when we got together as the Class of 1977 at the end of July, it was a though we’d never left school, grown up, and lived challenging and demanding lives for the last 40 years.

As Paula Hull (Martin), Head Girl in 1977, said on the night: “We are a decent bunch of women, intelligent, caring, considerate, lovely and a bit naïve. And the world needs people like us.”

Amid cheering and clapping, we all agreed!

“Do you remember when…” and “Oh I had forgotten that…” and “I can’t believe we…” and “Thank goodness my kids don’t know…” and even “Thank goodness my kids don’t do…” buzzed around the room overlooking beautiful views of the Swan River where we gathered at the College.

The pics from then tell the story, along with green pinnies, peter pan collars and jabots, and invitations to the Year 12 ball (and most importantly who went with whom to the ball) and the graduation mass.

The pictures of now continue the story, with laughter lines and greying hair and…Well the rest is our secret.

We also remembered those who couldn’t make it to the reunion and those who had passed away too early.

We all told Principal Ian Elder, who gave us a tour of the school, that we knew we would have done so much better at school if we’d had the amazing facilities of today.

To Charmaine Versluis (Priest) thank you, you kept us in touch and brought us together. We are already planning the next gathering.

The speed at which time passes is frightening. This especially hit home on Saturday 24 June, as I joined 50 of my fellow graduates from the class of 1987 for our 30 year reunion. With the beautiful Swan River and the city as a backdrop, we gathered on the familiar steps of Santa Maria and reacquainted ourselves with classmates from 30 years ago. Some we recognised immediately, but for others the name tags came in very handy!

Following a warm welcome from Jennifer Oaten (Buckenara, class of 1985), we were taken on a tour of the campus. Everyone was really impressed with the facilities and thrilled to learn that Jennifer, a fellow old girl, will be the new Principal of Santa Maria next year. The Class of 1987 then gathered in the staffroom for a celebratory drink and a long overdue catch up. It was amazing to talk with old classmates and be reminded of shared experiences all those years ago. Despite the passing of 30 years, the bonds between us will never be broken.

Thank you to Santa Maria and the Old Girls’ Association for organising, and hosting, a wonderful reunion for the 1987 graduates. Particular thanks must go to old girls Jennifer Oaten (Buckenara, class of 1985), Natacha Hammond (Fic, class of 1985) and Mary Bairstow (Heavens, class of 1974), and Jacqui Daniels (Lange, class of 1986) for giving up their time so that the Class of 1987 could be reunited. It was a terrific evening with lots of laughs, and it made me feel like I don’t want to wait another 10 years to catch up again.

I found out about the reunion somewhat last minute. So, I applied for a visa to come to Perth and it was granted two days before!! I then bought my ticket to fly the next day to be able to join the reunion.

I was so excited and happy to see my old friends from 20 years ago. As soon as I arrived at the school, I was truly amazed by the breathtaking view across the river from the Community Room. I had never realised how beautiful the view was before. I like the new renovated interior of the school now… I wish for my daughter to go to SMC in the future and also hope she will experience life as a boarder like me. It was really good to be back again and catch up with everyone! I had a blast.

The year is 2007, Rhianna and Beyoncè were at the top of the pops, the first iPhone was released and everyone owned a pair of Etnies. For the class of 2007, it was our also our graduating year. The significance of this was not lost on us and I remember very clearly the sense of pride we held as a senior cohort. It was a very busy time for Santa Maria more generally. The two new Houses Corbett and Byrne were established, hats were being introduced into the summer uniform and the renovations we have all come to enjoy, would begin in the new year.

For us girls however, those final few months passed like any other. We were all preoccupied with our exams, the friendships we thought would last forever, the boys we were sort of, not really dating and all our big plans for the summer holidays. In many ways the memories I hold now of that time are still crystal clear in my mind and returning to the College last week to mark the passing of ten years was very surreal. Perception of time is a difficult to grasp at 16 and I know I had a chuckle over my teenage self’s, sense of the future as represented in the time capsules we got back. There was an excellent range of old photographs and memories, some cringe worthy and others sincerely sweet. However, reading all the letters left to me from my fellow class mates, filled me with a sense of belonging and friendship that I had not experienced for a while. The evening, was a wonderful reminder of how lucky we were as a cohort and of all the great times we had shared together. The reunion also highlighted how the College has grown in ten years and I know the girls were blown away with the facilities now on offer here.

In the words of former principal Anne Pitos, there was a great turn out for our year of ‘pioneering women’ which included a huge representation from the boarding community. We also had a number of girls who popped in after weddings, hens nights and engagement parties. For those of us who couldn’t make it; you were sorely missed and dearly remembered. More generally, I am happy to report that besides a few name changes, some beautiful young children and only a little bit of hair dye, we are all still very much our lovely selves and doing well on our chosen paths.

On behalf of my class, I would like to pass on my sincerest thanks to Helen Chaffer who took us on a tour of the new grounds and stayed to talk with us, Jacqui Daniels who organised the event and the volunteers of the OGA for a wonderful evening.

“Don’t wait for the light to appear at the end of the tunnel, stride down there and light the bloody thing yourself” Sara Henderson